One Night's Difference
by MelodyAnne
Summary: What if Sydney hadn't disappeared for two years? What was Vaughn planning for Santa Barbara? [COMPLETE]
1. Making Plans

Making Plans  
  
Disclaimer: Sorry, alias isn't mine.  
  
A/N: This starts right after the scene in the finale where Vaughn pulls out the tickets, and they kiss, yada yada yada. So you've been warned, this isn't as "finale free" as it might have initially seemed.  
  
A/N: I need you to assume that everything that happened because of Francie's copy did happen, just some other way that's unimportant to the story line. (In other words, that tape still found it's way into the CIA, and Jack still saw it.)  
  
A/N: Please excuse my lack of knowledge about Santa Barbara. I live on the east coast, but I'm assuming it'd be the same thing. All US tourist towns are about the same, from what I've seen. (I say US because I've never been outside the US. For all I know, *all* tourist towns may be the same!)  
  
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Sydney rushed inside, so excited she was about ready to burst. She was already running what to pack, and…other things…through her mind.  
  
"Hi," she said, finding Will and Francie sitting on the couch watching a movie. "Guess what. Vaughn got plane tickets! We're going to Santa Barbara this weekend!"  
  
"Syd, that's great!" Francie said enthusiastically, smiling. "You're really going?"  
  
"Yes! We've been planning this forever, we just had to work things out at work," Sydney said, forever being her reasonable self.  
  
"So you're leaving Francie here alone?" Will asked, his eyes taking on a mischievous glint. "I'll just have to keep her company."  
  
Sydney laughed, Will grinned, and Francie blushed furiously.  
  
"Will!" she laughed, helpless to do anything else.  
  
The three of them moved on to lighter topics for the better part of an hour before Will glanced at his watch and sighed.  
  
"I better go. I have to be at work early tomorrow. I have a lot to do," he added, glancing at Sydney.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
I hate this, Sydney thought. The worst part of being an agent, the part that never made it into super-spy-type movies, was all the paperwork.  
  
Sydney had spent the entire morning sifting through the papers on her desk. She'd taken only a twenty-minute lunch break, but at three o'clock she still had an impressive stack of papers to go through.  
  
She hadn't seen her father all day. She had hoped to have a chance to tell him she was going off *before* she spoke to Kendall, and it inevitably got back to him, but that Thursday they both must have been pretty busy, because as far as she knew he hadn't ventured from his desk all day. I'll talk to him tomorrow, she decided just as Vaughn walked up to her desk.  
  
"Hey," he said. "Where have you been all day?"  
  
"Right here," she replied, smiling. "I can't believe I let all this pile up."  
  
"I know. I have the matching set on my desk," he joked. "Are you ready?"  
  
"That depends on what you mean," she laughed. "Mentally, I couldn't be more ready. But I haven't had time to pack, or anything else. What time are we leaving Friday?"  
  
"Around seven. I could come over tonight. Help you pack," he said, grinning.  
  
"Sure. Hey, have you seen my dad around? I wanted to let him know I'm going off before I tell Kendall. It'll be easier later if he hears it from me."  
  
"Are you telling him *we're* going away, or that *you* are?" Vaughn asked warily, thinking it might be useful knowledge later.  
  
"That I am. That's all he needs to know. But Kendall will tell him we're both off active duty. He'll figure it out anyway," Sydney said matter-of-factly.  
  
"So why not just tell him? He already hates me," Vaughn said pointedly.  
  
"Because it's none of his business where I go and who I go with. I'm only telling him as a courtesy," Sydney said firmly.   
  
Vaughn shrugged. "Okay. I just thought…"  
  
"No," Sydney said shortly. "I'm making it clear right now that what we do isn't any of his business."  
  
Vaughn nodded and glanced uncomfortably at his watch. He was afraid Jack Bristow might suddenly appear and hear their conversation; he was good at that feat.   
  
"I'm going to be late. I'll come by around six?"  
  
"I'll cook," Sydney said smiling.  
  
"Great," he said, retuning her smile.  
  
-  
  
-  
  
"Dad?" Sydney said, walking up behind him.  
  
"Yes, Sydney?" he said, turning around and wearing his usual stone-faced-serious expression.  
  
"I'm going away this weekend, so I'll be off call," she said, hoping taking an official tone would make it simpler.  
  
He nodded. Sydney thought he might already know about Vaughn taking off as well.  
  
"Have you informed Kendall?" he asked, his face changing slightly into a disapproving glare.  
  
He knows, Sydney thought.  
  
"I was just going to do that," she said aloud, backing away while she had the chance and eager to escape her father's glare.  
  
Jack shook his head slightly as he watched her walk away.  
  
Naturally, when Sydney wanted to find Kendall he was no where to be found. Any other day he would have been lurking around every corner, but that day it took her over half an hour to locate Kendall, only to discover that he was in a meeting. She had intended to personally deliver the message that she would be off call, knowing from experience that he reacted slightly better to that than when he was left a note. Unwilling to wait until the day before she left, she was forced to leave written word of her intentions.  
  
Too bad, she thought, I'm supposed to have the time off anyway. I'll just be off call.   
  
She was more than relieved to see five o'clock before Kendall managed to find her. He wouldn't be happy. After all, two of his top agents were going to be off call, and she'd only left him a note. She'd just have to deal with him later, possibly in the morning before the day had taken its toll on her.  
  
I'd better turn off my cell phone, she thought. He'll call me anyway.  
  
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So, what do you think so far? This chapter is a little slow, I think, but it gets better. And the next chapter will be a little longer. Please review!   
  
One other thing…My other story stopped attracting any reviews after a certain point, so I want to get at least five reviews before I post another chapter, okay? I don't want to go to all the trouble to post this if no one likes it. Besides, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to work on the next chapter… 


	2. Unusual Talk of the Future

Unusual Talk of the Future  
  
A/N: I'm sorry to have taken do long to get this up, but between school starting, softball practice, and football games, I'm lucky to have gotten this up at all! I hope I won't take as long with the next chapter!  
  
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After he spoke to Sydney, Vaughn had spent most of the remainder of the day looking forward to the evening.   
  
Sitting in his car on his way to her apartment, he was even more excited about the upcoming weekend. It was something he and Sydney had both wanted to do for a long time. They needed to spend some time together without work interference. Time without having to constantly be alert.  
  
"So," Vaughn began over dinner. " Do you think your dad has figured us out yet?"  
  
"Yes," Sydney said, rolling her eyes. "He gave me this look when I told him I was going off. It's like, he wasn't around when I was a teenager, so he feels like he has to make up for it now. He's going to drive us all insane," Sydney complained.  
  
"He'll get used to it," Vaughn laughed.  
  
"I don't know. He still complains about me seeing my mother." she looked up quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag her into this."  
  
"No, it's okay. You're right. Your father's pretty stubborn," Vaughn said lightly, hoping everything he felt whenever he thought about Irina Derevko didn't show on his face. Evidently it did.  
  
Vaughn avoided looking into Sydney's eyes. He knew she regretted saying anything, but he didn't want to see the pain reflected there as well. Irina Derevko was a topic everyone avoided, yet somehow she still managed to slip in and ruin things. Finally, when she remained silent, he was forced to look up. Into her sympathetic eyes.  
  
Sydney smiled when he looked up.  
  
"Let's make a deal. This weekend, we won't talk about work," Sydney said. "No Kendall, no Dad, no Derevko, no worries."  
  
"Deal," Vaughn agreed willingly.  
  
"Starting now," she added.  
  
"Okay. Have you ever thought about what you'll do once you're out of the CIA?" he asked thoughtfully after a moment.  
  
"Hey!" she said playfully.  
  
"That's not work."  
  
"No, I guess not."  
  
"You didn't answer." He grinned.  
  
"No. I guess I haven't. I guess I've always had to just live in the present. No point in imagining a future I'll never have, right?" she asked, unable to keep a certain amount of sadness from her voice.  
  
"What do you mean?" Vaughn asked quietly.  
  
"SD-6," she said quickly. "I always assumed I'd have a normal life after it was gone. But I guess, in the back on my mind, I always knew I'd never get it, because I've never given it any thought."  
  
Vaughn was sure that wasn't exactly what she meant, but he let it drop. She obviously didn't want to talk about it, what ever it was.  
  
"What about where you'd go?" Vaughn continued instead.  
  
She shrugged. "If I hadn't gotten mixed up in this, I might have moved off after college. I don't know where I'd have gone, though," Sydney said dejectedly, despite her attempt at lightness.  
  
"What about when you're not an agent any more? I'd like to have a normal life. You know, settle down, have a family," Vaughn admitted, trying to cheer her up. "Get out of it entirely."  
  
"Yeah. Me too," she said, smiling faintly. "But do people like us even have a chance at a normal life?" she added, not expecting an answer.  
  
Vaughn put his hand over hers.  
  
"Sure we do, Syd. We deserve it," he added, smiling encouragingly.  
  
She smiled. "You're right. We do deserve it." Her smile faded and she dropped her eyes. "But deserving it doesn't mean we'll get it."  
  
"No. But we can try," Vaughn commented, realizing as he did that it sounded much more adamant than he'd intended.  
  
Finally, Sydney burst out laughing.  
  
"I'm sorry. I've been horrible tonight. We should be celebrating," she added, disappearing into the kitchen. When she reappeared she was holding two glasses of wine. She handed one to Vaughn and raised her own. "To our trip. May we remember it for the rest of our lives," Sydney said, smiling.  
  
"Let's remember it in a good way," Vaughn added, grinning.  
  
Sydney laughed. "It better not be the worst trip of my life. It'll have to be pretty bad to beat Taipei," Sydney joked.   
  
"Hey," Vaughn admonished lightly. "No talking about work, remember?"  
  
"Oh, shut up," she murmured as she leaned over to kiss him.  
  
"Gladly," he mumbled back.  
  
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Okay, this may seem like it's going nowhere, but I promise it picks up next chapter. S/V shippies will love where this is going…I know I do! I just had a little trouble getting started, so it's a bit rough at first. I had some good responses to the first chapter, so I hope this is up to par! 


	3. Consequences of a Lack of Sleep

Chapter 3: Consequence of a Lack of Sleep  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias or any of its characters.  
  
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Sydney didn't get anything packed Thursday night. She didn't sleep much, either. She and Vaughn both found morning to come entirely too early. The only thing that kept them from both calling in sick was the fact that Kendall was already upset that they were going to be off call all weekend. They knew they couldn't risk it.  
  
Coffee and adrenaline were what got the through the day at all. Because of a mixture of exhaustion and excitement, they both barely dented the work they should have gotten done that day. Not that they cared; they would simply disappear and worry about it Monday.  
  
Sydney left work at exactly five o'clock. She still hadn't packed, and she didn't want to risk encountering Kendall when she'd managed to avoid him all day. Unfortunately, she'd also missed Vaughn all day. That only increased her anticipation of the evening, when they'd officially begin their weekend together.  
  
Time crawled b. She took her time packing. She tried to read, but every few sentences she found her eyes darting to the clock. She tried to watch television, but she watched the clock more than she watched the evening talk show. She picked up a magazine, but quickly threw it back down in frustration. She wished Francie hadn't gone out with Will. She changed clothes again. She redid her hair twice. She cleaned the already spotless kitchen. Finally, when she ran out of things to do, she stretched out on the couch and stared at the steadily, but slowly, changing digits on the clock.  
  
Forty-five minutes later, Vaughn slipped silently into her apartment after ringing the bell three times. When she hadn't answered, he'd become worried. He grinned when he found her, fast asleep, on the couch. She was so beautiful when she slept, he thought.  
  
"Syd," he said, shaking her gently. "We're already late. Come on, Syd."  
  
"Hmm?" she mumbled, sitting up. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "What time is it? How could I fall asleep?" she cried.  
  
"It's only 7:15," he said soothingly. "But if you don't hurry we'll miss our plane," he added playfully.  
  
"Sorry," she said, smiling apologetically.   
  
Sydney jumped up to grab her suitcase out of her bedroom.  
  
"Ready?" Vaughn asked, laughing softly when she reappeared.  
  
"Yeah," she said, grinning back.  
  
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So much for a *romantic* flight, Sydney laughed to herself as Vaughn dozed beside her. He'd been out almost as long as the plane had been in the air. Before long, lack of sleep the night before and the soft whirring of the engines of the jet lulled Sydney into a light sleep as well.  
  
"...Fasten your seat belts, we'll be landing in a short while," a voice said over the PA system, waking Sydney and Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn shifted and glanced at his watch. "Wow. Did I really sleep that long?"  
  
"I wouldn't know," Sydney yawned. "I was asleep too."  
  
"This is starting off well. Not at all how I planned, anyway," Vaughn muttered.  
  
"What had you planned?" Sydney asked, smiling mischievously.   
  
"Uh...I didn't mean *planned* exactly. More like expected," he replied carefully.  
  
"And what did you *expect*?"  
  
"Not to fall asleep," he laughed evasively, grinning in a successfully disarming way.  
  
Sydney shook her head.   
  
"So, do we have any plans tonight?" Sydney asked, deciding she had sufficiently embarrassed him for the time.  
  
"No, I thought we'd just do whatever we felt like when we got there," he said, grinning and slipping his arm around her shoulders.  
  
She grinned back and shifted to lean against him.  
  
"You know," she said after a moment. "This is the first time I've ever been on a plane as a civilian."  
  
"No, really?" Vaughn asked. "You've never gone anywhere just because?"  
  
"Nowhere I couldn't drive to in an hour or so. That must seem weird considering all the places I've been."  
  
"Welcome to the government. I doubt government people ever go anywhere they aren't assigned to go."  
  
"But you seemed surprised," Sydney said, looking up at him.  
  
"I used to fly to visit y mother a lot, but it's been ears since I've been able to go see her. And I don't want her near LA, for obvious reasons."  
  
"You're close?" Sydney asked enviously.  
  
"Ever since my dad..." He trailed off. "But that's work. We promised," he said, forcing a smile.  
  
Sydney shook her head. "Stop it. That doesn't matter. What were you going to say?" she asked, her voice full of concern.  
  
"Nothing. Just since my dad died," Vaughn said, shrugging off her concern.  
  
"Vaughn, we have to talk about this sometime..." Sydney complained gently.  
  
"Not this weekend. Let's just have fun this weekend, okay?" Vaughn pleaded, cutting her off.  
  
"Okay," Sydney sighed. "But we can't keep avoiding it, Vaughn. We can't ignore it, and we both know that."  
  
"Syd, we can't ignore it, but we can't let it be a problem, either. Just like you won't let your father be a problem," Vaughn said sharply.  
  
"I'm not trying to make it a problem," Sydney snapped back, glaring at him angrily.  
  
Vaughn mentally chided himself for snapping at her.  
  
"I know you're not," he sighed. Then he laughed.  
  
"What?" she snapped defensively.  
  
"This wasn't in the plan, either." He grinned.  
  
Sydney shook her head and smiled back.  
  
"Vaughn, sometimes your impossible," she said affectionately. Then she added, "I thought there wasn't a plan."  
  
"Just high expectations," he laughed, relaxing like he could only with Sydney.  
  
The airport was busy as they exited the plane, but not too bad since it was late. They were both thankful that they'd brought bags that qualified as carry-on, since that meant they could go straight to their rental car.  
  
"Have you eaten yet?" Sydney asked as she drove away from the brightly lit airport.  
  
"No. I thought we'd grab something before we checked in. Have you eaten?" he returned.  
  
"Not since lunch, which didn't consist of much. I'm starved," she claimed.  
  
"There's a little Mexican place near the hotel that's supposed to be good," Vaughn said, looking at a travel pamphlet he'd picked up at the airport.  
  
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Not my usual cliff hanger stuff, but I wanted this fic to have at least five chapters and that meant splitting this one and the next chapter up. Just keep reading, especially S/V shippies like me! You'll love next chapter! (And, in case ya'll haven't figured it out yet, this fic is strictly fluff!)  
  
As usual, review to get the next chapter sooner! I love ya'll's reviews! 


	4. A Question To Be Asked

Chapter 4: A Question Needs to be Asked  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Alias or any of its characters.

* * *

The restaurant was tiny, but it was every bit as good as a large, fancy place. The staff went to such lengths as to entertain their customers, starting conversations with those who wished to talk and leaving alone those who wished to be left alone, as well as serving them quickly. The atmosphere was completely Mexican, even having a Spanish menu and a staff that spoke both English and Spanish fluently. Sydney, having always enjoyed languages, loved it, and Vaughn was happy as long as she was enjoying herself, though English suited him just fine.  
  
"This is the closest thing to a genuine Mexican restaurant I've ever seen it California," she laughed happily as they left.  
  
"I thought you'd like it," Vaughn replied proudly.

* * *

Everything that weekend was perfect. They spent hours just walking along the beach, enjoying being together without the stress of work. As promised, they didn't say anything about work. They stuck to light, carefree subjects as much as possible. Sydney couldn't remember ever being so happy. Yet she had the distinct feeling that Vaughn was unusually distant. He always had a smile on his face, but he seemed to be keeping things light intentionally, as though his mind was somewhere else entirely. Surely he wasn't mad about her bringing up his father's death on the plane, was he?  
  
These thoughts plagued Sydney as they walked down the beach on Sunday evening after an elegant dinner. With neither of them concentrating on the conversation, it soon died away completely, leaving an uneasy silence in its wake.  
  
Sydney turned her head slightly to study him. Vaughn kept his eyes down, looking at the ground. To Sydney, it seemed like he wasn't even aware she was there.  
  
In truth, he was very aware of her. Aware of how beautiful she was, and how much she meant to him, and how much he didn't want to lose her. It scared him that he couldn't interpret her sudden silence.  
  
They continued to walk, holding hands in silence and very aware of each other, trying to read the other's mind. For what seemed to him like the millionth time that weekend, Vaughn tried to work up the courage to just ask her. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and fingered the small box there. Determinedly closing his hand over the box, he pulled it from his pocket.  
  
"Syd..." he said suddenly, abruptly stopping and spinning her to face him. "I..." His voice shook and he stopped and took a deep breath as worry clouded Sydney's eyes. He held up the dark blue box where she could see it and she gasped. "Sydney Bristow," Vaughn said softly, still holding her hand as though to keep her from running away. "Will you marry me?"  
  
Sydney felt all the concern and confusion that had been bothering her a moment ago just disappear.  
  
"Yes!" she whispered happily as she embraced him, and felt his arms circle her to hold her close.  
  
After a moment, Vaughn moved away. He took the small diamond ring from its box and gently slid it onto Sydney's hand.  
  
All the way back to their hotel Vaughn grinned like an idiot and Sydney alternated between laughing giddily and beaming as she stared at her hand. Their friends and family wouldn't have to see the ring to know what was going on. They held hands as they stumbled across the dunes, both overcome by an almost nervous anticipation of what they had finally done, and what was to come.

* * *

It is a cliffhanger, if you think about it. What is to come? I know I had promised more chapters on this story, but it's just better to leave it here. Adding to it would take away the air of mystery and finality that makes me love it! 


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